Initiative: The order in which ships move and fire
is determined by their initiative ratings. A ship’s initiative
is the sum of its maneuverability plus the level of the ship’s
battle computer. In addition, ships equipped with battle scanners
add +3 to their initiative. Ships with the highest initiative then
move first, ties being resolved randomly by the computer. Furthermore,
a ship with a higher initiative can fire first if an enemy ship
moves into range. There is one exception to the firing order. Ships
utilizing a subspace teleporter to move or a cloaking device to
surprise an enemy always fire first after moving or decloaking.

Beam Weapon Attacks: Beam weapons generally have
a range of one space and strike enemy targets instantly. The probability
that the weapons hit depends on the attack level of the firer, the
defense level of the defender, and the firing range. The attack
level is determined by the type of battle computer aboard the firing
ship. If the ship also has a battle scanner, +1 is added to its
attack level. The defender’s maneuverability is the basis
for his defense level.
The size of the ship also modifies the defense level as well as
special devices such as the inertial stabilizers and inertial nullifiers.
For those weapons with extended range, +1 is added to the defender’s
defense level for each space beyond one. Cloaked ships that have
not fired their weapons also receive an additional +5 levels of
defense.
Each weapon attack is resolved separately. The table below indicates
the probability of a weapon hitting given the attacker’s attack
level and the defender’s defense level. A roll of 1–100
is made. If the roll is equal to or exceeds the weapon hit probability
shown below, the weapon hits. The same roll also determines the
amount of damage scored. The higher the roll, the more damage that
is inflicted. A roll equal to the base hit probability does the
minimum damage listed for the weapon. A roll of 100 does the maximum
damage. Any roll in between is interpolated for the amount of damage
scored.
For example, an attacker with an attack level of 2 fires a laser
at an enemy ship with a defense of 2, giving a 50% chance to hit.
The laser, which does 1–3 points of damage, rolls a 75, midway
between the 50% needed to hit and the 100% maximum. The laser hits
and does 2 points of damage.